Activision Appoints New President, Former Blizzard Head Will Leave Company in April

A series of management changes have occurred in the company

By Colin Stevens

Activision has promoted Rob Kostich to the role of President after working with the company for nearly 15 years, and the former head of Blizzard Mike Morhaime will exit the company he helped create in April.

Considering the massive success of the Call of Duty franchise over the 10 years that Kostich has been steering the ship, it’s no surprise he’s been promoted to be the head of Activision as a whole. The official press release states he will oversee strategy and operations for Activision, including game development. Kostich also serves as president of the Call of Duty Endowment. Kostich is replacing Eric Hirshberg, who left Activision nearly one year ago.

Other new appointments include former CFO and SCO Humam Sakhnini overseeing Candy Crush maker King Digital as president. Current CFO of Activision Blizzard Dennis Durkin will now also serve as president of the “Company’s Emerging Businesses,” having him oversee operational management of Activision Blizzard Esports Leagues, Activision Blizzard Studios and Activision Blizzard Consumer Products Group. Previously, former CFO Spencer Neumann was fired after breaching his contract to become CFO of Netflix.

“Rob, Humam, Dennis and J. exemplify our deep bench of operational and commercial leadership. These capable and seasoned executives have shown unwavering commitment to our company, our employees, and our beloved community of fans around the world,” said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard. “With these proven, principled leaders at the helm, we will continue to invest in the strategic growth drivers of our business."